Device for sealing or closing letters and like packages.



P. HEALY.

DEVICE FOR SEALING 0R CLOSING LETTERS AND LIKE PACKAGES APPLICATION FILED AUG.24. 1914.

1,155,567. Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

WLL-ms-ses 3 Inventor: Peter HeaLy.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAI'H co,.w/\sruNuTON. n

' UN PATENT @FFTQE.

Pnrnn H ALY, or, COUNTY. SLIGO, IRELAND.

nnvron FOB. snanme or. c osIne nn'r'rnns AND LIKE PACKAGES.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Pn'rnn HEAL a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of county Sligo, Ireland, whose post-office address is Templeboy, county Sligo, Ireland, have invented new and useful Improvements Relating to Devices for Sealing or, Closing Letters and like Packages, of which the following is a specification. 1 I

This invention relates-to devices for sealing or closing letters and like packages of the kind in which two interlocking members" of brass or other metal are provided which when the sealing or closing operation; is effected are forced rigidly into engagement with each other and hold between them the flaps of the letter or the like which are to be secured to each other, for: the purpose of preventing the'unauthorized opening of the .letters or packages without detection.

Now according to the invention I provide one of the interlocking members with a separate disk member having slots at intervals around its circumference, the edge of the disk engaging under a rim on the base part of the said interlocking member, and prongs or tongues on the second interlocking member passing through the slots and engaging beneath the disk member when the two interlocking members are forced into engagement with each other. The second interlocking member just fits into the rim when forced home into engagement, thus preventing the application of a tool or instrument beneath the second interlocking member without partial destruction of the envelop. This rim further acts as a guide to the prongs or tongues on the second interlocking member so as to direct them beneath the disk member in the first interlocking member when the two interlocking members are forced home into engagement with each other. I further provide the disk member of the first interlocking member with a preferably substantially central guide tongue which exactly fitsa slot in the other interlocking member and thus serves as a convenient ireansfor bringingithe two mem- ,bens into correct i'egistenl with'"each other .wghen the s ealiii-g-zoi' closing operation is to i b e fected-e: 'For the purpose, of forcing home -the two interlocking membersjnto engagement and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 24-, 1914.

thus sealing or closing the letter or similar package a suitably shaped and constructed Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 858,298.

instrument may conveniently be provided which is hereinafter more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying specification and drawings.

I will now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional View of a tool which may conveniently be employed for forcing home the interlocking members into engagement with each other. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the interlocking members provided with a disk member under which engage the tongues or projectionson the other interlocking member. Fig. 3 shows the disk member removed from the interlocking member illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a slightly modified form of disk member. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line AA of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the second interlocking member which is provided with the projecting tongues or prongs. Fig. 7 is an" elevation corresponding to Fig. (5.. Fig. 8 is a view in elevation showing the two interlocking members ready to be forced into engagement with each other, so as to secure the flaps of the envelop or the like betweenthem. Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a modifiedform of the slots in the disk member.

Referring now to the drawings, the device is constituted by the two interlocking members A and B. The member A (Fig. 5) is constituted of a base part 0 having a turned-up circular rim D. This rim D is adapted to engage and hold. within the base C a disk member E beneath which the projecting tongues '01' prongs Gr are secured when the two parts A and B are forced home into engagement with each other. The member B just fits the rim D.

The disk member E is only loosely constrained in position by the rim D, and there is sufficient clearance between the disk member and the base C to allow of the entrance of-the projecting tongues or prongs G of the interlocking member B. The prongsG are provided around the periphery of the member B at suitable distances apart and the disk member E has-an equal number of slots H in its circumference at distances apart -ioorrespondingto the distances of the prongs G from one another, the edge of the disk en- .gaging underl the. rim D; r

The slots I IInay if-desired be provided as tongue J enters the slot L the prongs shown in Fig. l, but I prefer to form them as shown in Fig. 3. l

The circle of prongs G just fits with n the circular rim D. so that when the two interlocking members are forced together, the

rim D acts as a guide to the prongs G and prevents them from bending outward away from the slots H. In the center of the disk member E is a guide tongue or projection J j which may conveniently be formed by turning'up at right angles to the disk a pointed tongue out out of the disk at K. This guide tongue or. projection J exactly fits the slot L in thecenter of the interlocking-member B and the tongue J and the slot L are so positioned, with regard to the projections or prongs G and the slots H that when tluasa d 7: exactly register with the slots H.

In use, the member A is placed in position as shown in Fig. 8 with its guide tongue or projection J forced through the body part -ofan envelop at M. After the closing flap N of the envelop has been pressed down on r the guide tongue J, the member B is placed in position by passing the guide tongue J through the slot L. By means of the tool shown in Fig. 1 the two interlocking members are then forced home nto engagement with each other. The prongs G pierce the closing flap N'and the body part of the envelop and being guided by the circular rim D are forced into the slots H and bent under the disk member E. The projecting portion of the guide tongue J can then be bent over to lie flat on the upper surface of the member B, or if desired,.may be broken off by bending it from side to side a few times.

In Fig. 9 is shown a slightmodification in which the slots H are provided with further additions O substantially at right angles to the slots H so as to form on the whole T shaped slots. The prongs G on the member B are provided with slight double wings P and the additions O are slightly wider than the body of the prongs G but narrower than the width of the prongs together with the wings P. On any attempt to tamper with the seal by prizing the members A and B apart, the prongs G must necessarily pass into the additions O and become caught by means of the wings P and thus cannot be forced out without tearing the envelop.

This modification is of course, equally applicable to the modified form of disk member shown in Fig. 4:.

When the guide tongue J is formed by being cut out of the disk member Eit is preferable that the slots H nearest the cut away portion should not be provided with the additional parts 0, in order not further to weaken the metal at these points. It is of course possible to form the guide tongue J in other ways, in which case all the slots H may receive the further additions O.

In 1 is shown a tool, which may conveniently, be employed for forcing the two interlocking members A and B into engagement with each other. Itconsists of a handle Q into which a screw threaded member R is inserted, the member B havinga head S. The handle Q, has a -ferrule T of the same diameter as the'head S, and forms together with thehead S, a guide for a circular sleeve U in which is a: division V having an aperture through which the member Roan slide freely. Coiled around the member R and confined between the end of the handle Q, and

the division V'is a spring W'which normally pressesthe division Vin the sleeveU against the head S and keeps the sleeve at all times in a suitable position. This space Y of the sleeve U allows the interlocking member B to enter freely, being of substantially the same diameter although not so shown in the over or distorted. I

Iclaim;--' A l 1. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two-interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by abase, portion and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement therewith, the other interlocking member having prongs adapted to pass through said disk member and a be turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold,

the interlocking members together.

2. A "device for sealing or closing and the like comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constitutedby a baseportion and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement therewith, said base portion having a guide rim provided thereon, and the other interlocking member having prongs letters i 3 adapted to fit within said guide rim and pass through said disk member and be.

turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold the interlocking members together. 7

3. A device forsealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members,

being constituted by a base portion and a separate disk member held loosely in 'engagement therewith, said base portion having a guide rim provided thereon, and the other interlocking member having prongs adapted to fit within said guide rim andpass through-slots in said disk member and be turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold the interlocking members together.

4:. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by a base portion and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement therewith, said disk member being provided with a guide tongue, and the other interlocking member having a slot in which said guide tongue is adapted to engage and prongs adapted to pass through said disk member and be turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold the interlocking members together.

A device for sealing or closing letters and the like comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by a base portion having a guide rim provided thereon and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement with the base portion, said disk member being provided with a guide tongue, and the other interlocking member having a slot in which said guide tongue is adapted to engage and prongs adapted to fit within said guide rim and pass through said disk mem- 7 her and be turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold the interlocking members to gether. V l

G. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking 7. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by a base portion and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement therewith and the other interlocking'member having winged prongs adapted to pass through T-shaped slots in said disk member and be turned or deflected thereunder for the purpose and substantially as described.

8. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by a base portion and a sepa rate disk member held loosely in engagement therewith, said base portion having a guide rim provided thereon, and the other interlocking member having winged prongs adapted to fit within said guide rim and pass through T-shaped slots in said disk member and be turned or deflected thereunder for the purpose and substantially as described.

9. A device for sealing or closing letters and the like, comprising two interlocking members, one of said interlocking members being constituted by a base portion having a guide rim provided thereon, and a separate disk member held loosely in engagement with the base portion, said disk member being provided with a guide tongue, and the other interlocking member having a slot in which said guide tongue is adapted to engage and winged prongs adapted to fit within said guide rim and pass through T-shaped slots in said disk member and be turned or deflected thereunder so as to hold the interlocking members together.

PETER HEALY.

Witnesses:

WVILLIAM JOHN HUNTER, ROGER PARKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0'. 

